


Soulmate and Coffees

by 020514 (jexngyxxnxh)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, I think I failed in the soulmate au part, M/M, soulmateXcoffeeshop au, taeyong as a friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-24 04:46:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14348241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jexngyxxnxh/pseuds/020514
Summary: Johnny has been dreaming of his soulmate, but he keeps on forgetting every details about it the moment he wakes up.





	Soulmate and Coffees

**Author's Note:**

> The person who will appear in your dreams, with an attached red string in both of you, is a sign that ‘that person’ is your soulmate. It’s up to you if you will find or wait for the moment that you finally meet.

“Here’s your coffee.” Taeyong said as he places down the coffee cup in front of Johnny.

Johnny really hates the morning after a night when he just dreamt of his soulmate. He is not the type of person who remember every detail of its dreams.

“I just really want to sleep, again, for at least half an hour.” Johnny answered, covering his eyes with his arm.

“I don’t know how to help you, honestly. You should already remember his face by now.” Taeyong said in tone of frustration. He is also tired of seeing his friend in this state every morning after Johnny saw his soulmate in his dream.

“I tried, okay!” Johnny said as he messed up his hair, “I even tried to ask for his name. I know he answered it, but I just can’t remember.”

“But you remember this coffeeshop, right? You should try harder then, if you really want to meet him.” Taeyong said it to reassure Johnny, who just really want to sleep. Hoping to dream about his soulmate, again, and to recover from his lack of sleep last night.

 

 

Johnny’s dream is as usual, the guy will appear in his dream, red string attached in both of their ring finger which means that ‘that person’ is his soulmate. What frustrates Johnny so much is that whenever he will dream about it, once he wakes up, he will forget the face of his soulmate; even any details about it. The only thing he will remember is that they are inside a coffeeshop, in which he always buys his coffee every morning.

Its been a week since his last dreamt about his soulmate, which he is thankful for. He can’t let himself to feel the frustrations about it all over again, not now that he his busy for his final exams.

Unconsciously, every morning, Johnny will always buy a cup of coffee in the coffee shop near his dormitory. It became a part of his morning routine before he attends his classes.

With his earphones playing some Coldplay songs, carrying his backpack, he walks from his dorm to the coffeeshop. He’s thinking if he will order the same Caffè Americano he always bought, or he will try something new.

The scent of ground coffee wakes up his sleepy self. Soft ringing of bells as he opened the door, the black paintings on the wall, white tables, chairs and mugs, menu that was written on blackboards, and even the wooden floor, everything just makes Johnny feel so warm and cozy.

He cheerfully greeted the barista, placed his order, and patiently wait as the barista prepares his espresso. The hiring notice on the table, beside the sugar and creams, is still posted, which caught Johnny’s attention.

“You’re still looking for barista?” Johnny asked as the barista served his coffee (takeout coffee).

“Oh! Someone actually applied, but he still not submitting the papers we asked so we keep that posted.” The barista answers, pointing his finger to the hiring notice.

“Thank you!” Johnny said, smiling as he grabs his coffee.

Johnny neither have any interest on it nor any experience to qualify for the job. He is just plain curious about the barista hiring of the coffee shop, since it has been posted for more than a month now.

 

 

“I am so tired for this!” Taeyong said in a frustrated tone voice, while slamming their thick research paper on the table.

“What? Is she asking for another revision?” Johnny asked, eyebrows knitted together, and an irritation is starting to form inside him.

They are in the university’s study hall, that currently jam-packed with stress students who only want to end and survive the semester. And like others, both Johnny and Taeyong are getting all the tension as their professor keeps on rejecting their research paper.

“Yes! She wrote here,” Taeyong said, pointing on the attached sticky note, “that we need to revise the chapter four, as the graphs and table’s interpretation are not that detailed. She also mentioned that we must make that chapter five much longer.”

Johnny just groans as a response. Chapter four and five are Taeyong and Johnny’s part in that research paper (they are five in the research group). He is so tired and pressured, still need to take three exams, pass other courses requirements, and now their research just added on his long list.

“When is the deadline?” Johnny asked after he added the ‘research revising’ on his to-do note portion of his journal.

“Ahmm… four days from now, so on Friday.” Taeyong answered.

Johnny’s last exam will be on the day after tomorrow, which means he still have at least two days to do his research paper.

 

 

Their research paper will be due in two days. It is Wednesday night and Taeyong still haven’t send his edited part.

“Dude, you know I can’t edit the chapter five without knowing what are details you added on the chapter four.” Johnny said to the older, through phone call.

“I will send it after my exam tomorrow, Johnny. I need to prioritize my exam.”

“I told you, I should’ve get that chapter four. I am just wasting some time here in my dorm.”

“But you said you don’t have any idea how to do it! You volunteered yourself on chapter five because it is the shortest part and now…” Taeyong said, getting frustrated and irritated to his friend.

“Okay! Fine. I will wait until tomorrow. But please! Send it before noon or I will punch you.”

“Sure. Meet me tomorrow in the coffee shop when I text you.” Taeyong said, ending their phone call.

Johnny can’t do anything now but to just wait for Taeyong. He will just sleep or play some video games, wasting another day of his life.

 

 

Johnny is getting impatient for waiting to Taeyong, or maybe he is just wake up on the wrong side of the bed that day. He dreamt about his soulmate, again.

On his dream, this time, they are still standing away from each other. As if they are satisfied on watching each other from some distance. They are still in the same coffee shop, he wears his usual comfy clothes, his soulmate in a barista outfit, with a name tag on. No one dares to move, or to lessen some distance between them. His soulmate speaks, saying that maybe it is the time, showing him a tattoo on his wrist, a coffee cup, similar to what Johnny have.

As always, he doesn’t remember the guy’s face or any addition details, but he does now remember that ‘that guy’ was wearing a name tag, which means that maybe, just maybe, he is one of the barista in the coffee shop. So Johnny decided to go to the coffee shop, wait for Taeyong, and look for his soulmate at the same time.

 

 

He sat at the table near the entrance, so Taeyong can easily spot him later. He just makes sure that from his place, he can clearly observe the baristas; hoping to remember and/or recognize his soulmate.

With his ordered coffee, phone with earphones, listening to his playlist, Johnny watch the four baristas as they prepare, and serve coffees the whole time.

He messed up his hair and placed his forehead on the table. He is tired of waiting for Taeyong and tired of stressing himself to recognize who in the four baristas is his soulmate.

 

 

It's three pm, and Taeyong finally gave him the printed research paper (without Johnny’s part) and the usb where the softcopy is. He wants to go back to his room now and start revising their paper; but he still needs to wait for Taeyong who's currently ordering some muffins and croissants, as treatment for Johnny who waited for him for like four hours.

Johnny noticed that it's been ten minutes and Taeyong still not coming back to their seats. He is skimming their research paper as he waits; he's too impatient so, he looks at the counter, notice that there is someone new, who's still asking for some assistant as he try to accommodate all Taeyong's order.

 

How unlucky I am today, Taeyong even become a subject to train the new barista of the cafe. Johnny said to himself, sighing on how miserable his day was.

 

After he got his croissants from Taeyong, he ran to his dorm as he wants to finish revising their research as soon as possible. He doesn't want to pull an overnight just to finish it.

 

 

Unfortunately, Johnny just stares in his laptop for two hours now. He read their revised paper, hoping to gain some new informations that may help him on revising the chapter five; but he gained nothing. He doesn't have any idea on how to expand that summary and even to add something in the recommendations.

He promised himself that he will only eat his dinner if he finished to edit even just the 'Discussion and Interpretation of Findings', which is part two (out of four) of chapter five.

It took him another hour to finally eat his dinner. He's starving, so much, and he unconsciously eaten more foods than he usually does. After a while, he felt pleasantly drowsy, an effect of his unusual heavy meal; or maybe simply because he is tired of doing their paper.

 

He had to fight off the urge to sleep, decided to grab some coffee. So, as he walks to the coffee shop, he is silently cursing Taeyong for giving him the paper too late.

He opened the coffee shop's wooden door and noticed that the 'new' barista is staking the chairs on the tables.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't notice the close sign." Johnny said, bowing his head, blushing as he is ashamed of himself.

"No!" the guy said in his high-pitched voice, "we're still open. I'm sorry, too. I-i'm just starting to clean the shop because I thought no more costumer will come."

Johnny now stop bowing and looked at the guy's blushing face.

"P-please take a seat." The new barista said, in a stuttering manner, nervous for his last costumer for his first day of work.

Johnny, on the other hand, is suddenly mesmerized. He observed how the black apron that hangs around the guy's waist is so perfect for the small body frame. He stares in those eyes, as if he missed him so much. It feels like he knows him for so long, his heart is throbbing in irregular manner that it starting to get hurt.

"Have we... met before?" Johnny said in faint soft-tone voice, while closing the door behind his back.

"You think so?" The guy answered, biting his lower lips, eyes are watering.

For Johnny, everything feels so familiar. The atmosphere, the guy infront of him, his feeling, it all feels like... déjà vu.

"Taeil" Johnny uttered the name written on the guy's name tag.

Johnny walks towards Taeil, closing the gap between them. A distance close enough to touch Taeil.

"Please confirm what I am thinking right now," Johnny said, showing how desperate and serious he is, "please tell me you are my soulmate. It's weird to say but I keep on forgetting my soulmate’s face every time I wake up. Just do something, please, I do have a feeling that he is… you."

Johnny really wants to kneel, beg, desperate enough to know everything and for just the guy in front of him answer all his questions.

No one dares to neither speak nor move. Johnny is struggling in remembering his dream, heart is palpitating so much, throat starting to get dry as he grinds his teeth from too much anticipation.

Taeil just stare to his eyes. As if he is testing the waters, doubting if he should do it, confess, say the words he wants to tell to his soulmate since the minute he saw him as he entered the coffee shop that morning, how he keeps himself busy in the storage just to hide himself, preparing for the time that they will finally figure out that they are soulmates.

 “I-I’m…” Taeil try, testing if he does have enough strength to speak, avoiding any eye contact as he can.

Hearing the first word Taeil said after their long silence makes Johnny holds his breath. He’s knees are too weak to support him, and he just want to breakdown at the moment, the anticipation is killing him.

“I don’t k-know but, I hope you can at least remember or recognize this.” Taeil said as he removes his watch, showing his black inked coffee cup tattoo, the only thing that Taeil remembered when he first dreamt about his soulmate.

Seeing the tattoo right in front of his eyes, placing his wrist beside Taeil’s wrist, showing his similar tattoo, are all enough to make Johnny let his tear to slip down his cheeks. Finally, after all of his sleepless nights, frustrated mornings, and doubts vanished inside him; making him fell on his knees, hiding his crying face to his soulmate.

Taeil starts to panic. He doesn’t have any idea on what to do or how to comfort the guy in front of him.

“Just to m-make everything clear, my name is Johnny,” he said while sobbing in between, “and yes, I am your soulmate.”

 

The two of them spend the night drinking coffees, while Johnny trying to finish his research paper as soon as he can, and Taeil narrating every experience he made while trying to look for the coffee shop in his dream. Ending the day of them promising to one another that they will starting to make up for all the time they not have been together since the first time they dreamt about each other; and keep on seeing and loving each other, not in dreams, but in reality.

**Author's Note:**

> It is now my second oneshot au. /yey!/ I just actually want to write a coffeeshop au but as I write this fic /ehem/ my mind just made me add some soulmate au in here. So yeah, this is a soulmateXcoffeeshop au that no one asked for. I just hope that I gave some justice for the soulmate au part. I failed, again, in writing some fluff fic that's why my stories are like this one. I hope you don't mind (together with hope that you won't hate me for my grammatical errors) Again, it is cross-posted in my AFF account.
> 
> \- Hana (@jexngyxxnxh)


End file.
